Lancia Kappa

Overview

The Kappa nameplate followed Lancia's frequent use of Greek letters for its model names, in this case the tenth letter of the Greek alphabet. In writing, Lancia often referred to the Kappa simply as the k (lower case "k"), which is fairly similar to the original Greek letter κ.

In Poland, where Fiat Auto is the largest domestic car manufacturer, the Kappa served as the official government car (replacing the Thema).

Autocar's Peter Robinson reviewed the Kappa in November 1994. He commented on the car's bland styling which was justified by Fiat's Paolo Cantarella on the basis that the designers did not want to create too much "visual noise". The body was reported as having twice the torsional rigidity of the outgoing Thema and as 15 percent stiffer than any of its rivals. The automatic Aisin-Warner gearbox (50-40 LE type) was shared with the Volvo 850. Robinson went on to say "the Kappa´s dimensions ensure a commodious interior, the impression of space only heightened by a low cowl and very Japanese-looking fascia, somewhere between a Honda NSX and Lexus LS400." Rear cabin room was described as "immense" but the cushion was criticised for being too flat, a fault rectified in later iterations of the car. Robinson criticised the "horrid mock wood with which Lancia frames the prominent central console that runs from the handbrake, up the full length of the dash and over the top." About the driving characteristics, Robinson wrote: "If Lancia quietened the starter motor, this would be one refined drivetrain...with no hint of any 5-cylinder unevenness." The 2.4 litre engine tested appeared to have been tuned for low-end torque, a characteristic of this Alpine brand. The engine was praised by Robinson for its "smooth responsiveness" and "torque steer has been eliminated...and the Servotronic steering is terrific, with just the right degree of self-centering." His summary of ride and handling was that car was better than average but not class-leading: "On the Lancia there is too much body roll and the front grip in the wet didn't inspire confidence."

Model history

• 1994 - Kappa production begins.
• 1996 - The estate body style, marketed as Station Wagon, joins the lineup. The naturally aspirated 2.0-litre gasoline engine is fitted with a variable geometry inlet manifold. Inside the cabin, the seats are replaced by a new design, including new upholstery patterns.
• 1997 - The coupé body style is launched, while at the same time, some changes are made to the interior, trunk, suspension and engine bay, as well as new alloy wheels are made available.
• 1998 - The 2.0 L turbocharged four-cylinder engine gets replaced by the five-cylinder engine, while the turbodiesel was upgraded to a JTD engine. The bumper guards, previously black, are changed to body-coloured, and the base trim level, LE, is dropped, leaving only the more lavish LS and LX. At the same time, a special trim level is introduced for the turbocharged gasoline engine, called simply the "Turbo", distinguished by the lack of chrome decals around the window frames. The interior materials are also upgraded across the lineup, including the addition of a leather-wrapped steering wheel with a different design and front central armrest.
• 1999 - The other two five-cylinder engines are modified along with the air conditioning unit.
• 2000 - The Kappa gains xenon HID headlamps. Production of the sedan and SW versions ceased in July 2000 (The Coupé's production came to a halt earlier in the year). Total production number of the Kappa Berlina was 104,752 cars.

Kappa SW and Coupé

The station wagon version of the Kappa, designated "SW" by Lancia, was designed and built by Pininfarina and did not differ from the saloon's exterior dimensions, sharing most of its body panels. Only 9,208 cars were built in Pininfarina's factory. The estate version was also available with Boge-Nivomat self-levelling hydropneumatic rear suspension.

The Coupé was designed by Centro Stile Lancia and built by Maggiora. It is technically quite different from the saloon, having a 120 mm shorter wheelbase, wider rear track and a distinctive profile with frameless doors. The front, from bumper to the window screen, was identical to the other Kappa body styles. It was Lancia's first coupé since 1984, when the Beta and Gamma coupés were discontinued and remains the last Lancia to feature this body style to this day. The small production capacities at the Maggiora factory for this essentially hand-made car, and the relatively high price, destined it to be a rare vehicle. For cost cutting reasons, the rear lights were shared with the Delta. 3,263 were manufactured from 1996 to 2000.

Car magazine described the Coupé as looking "top heavy, like a Bentley Continental that's been heated up and squeezed at both ends." However, the car's engine range was praised for matching the vehicle's dynamics, the 2.4-litre five cylinder and the 3.0-litre Alfa Romeo-derived V6 coming closest to "infusing the k Coupe with the classy character its styling tries to suggest." "It's the spiky turbo four that asks the hardest questions of the chassis and the all-strut suspension doesn't flounder. It shines. A viscous coupling helps the front wheels cope with the onslaught of the engine's old school, big-bang turbo delivery, and it feels remarkably untroubled." About the refinement and ride, John Barker (of Car Magazine) reported that the occupants "are completely isolated from any vibration while the ride is smooth at moderate speeds, parrying bumps quietly and unobtrusively." The interior was described as "appealing" and having "curvy, attractive door casings, plump supportive Recaro seats and a good choice of plastics.". The 1997 price was estimated at 24,000 pounds sterling.

Engines

The Kappa has a Transverse engine layout, all powering only the front wheels. The engines were available with either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission, unless otherwise indicated.

2.0 20V

• 1998 cc, straight-5, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder, 146 hp-metric at 6,100 rpm and 185 Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm
• 1998 cc, straight-5, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder, 155 hp-metric at 6,500 rpm and 186 Nm of torqe at 4,000 rpm
• uprated to 155 hp in 1996, due to the addition of a variable geometry inlet manifold, called the Variable Intake System (V.I.S) by Lancia.
• modified again in 1999.
• there were two versions of the manual transmission available for this engine, called Power Drive and Comfort Drive, with gear ratios optimized towards the former or the latter, respectively. Optional 4-speed automatic AISIN AW 596 could be chosen, later replaced by AW 30510.
• this engine was not available in the Coupé

2.4 20V

• 2446 cc, straight-5, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder, 175 hp-metric at 6,100 rpm and 230 Nm of torque at 3,750 rpm
• fitted with V.I.S
• from 1998 available with a 4-speed AISIN AW 30510 automatic transmission.
• slightly modified in 1999

3.0 V6 24V

• 2959 cc, 'Busso' V6, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder, 204 hp-metric at 6,300 rpm and 270 Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm
• not fitted with V.I.S
• slightly modified in 1999
• Available with 5-speed manual transmission or 4-speed Z.F. 4HP-18EH automatic or from 1998 with Z.F. 4HP20. The latter marketed as a sequential, adaptive automatic transmission called 'Comfortronic', with manual operation.

2.0 16V Turbo

• 1995 cc, turbocharged straight-4, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder, 205 hp-metric at 5,600 rpm and 298 Nm of torque at 2,750 rpm
• replaced by the turbocharged 5-cylinder in 1998
• 5-speed manual transmission only

2.0 20V Turbo

• 1998 cc, turbocharged straight-5, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder, 220 hp-metric at 6,000 rpm and 315 Nm of torque at 2,750 rpm
• superseded the 4-cylinder turbo in 1998
• 5-speed manual transmission only

2.4 TDs/JTD

• originally a distributor-pump turbodiesel refitted with common rail in 1998 and thereafter referred to as a JTD engine
• TDs - 2387 cc, turbodiesel straight-5, SOHC, 2 valves per cylinder, 124 hp-metric at 4,250 rpm and 246 Nm of torque at 2,250 rpm
• JTD - 2387 cc common rail turbodiesel straight-5, SOHC, 2 valves per cylinder, 136 hp-metric at 4,250 rpm and 309 Nm of torque at 2,000 rpm
• not available with automatic transmission or in the Coupé

manual is 5-speed, automatic/comfortronic is 4-speed

Concept cars and specials

Lancia Kayak

The Lancia Kayak or Bertone Kayak, is a 4-seater coupé concept car built by Italian coachbuilder Bertone, based on the Lancia Kappa mechanicals, and unveiled at the 1995 Geneva Motor Show. It was designed by Luciano D'Ambrosio.

Kappa Limousine

A one-off Kappa Limousine, with an extended middle section and wheelbase, was built for Gianni Agnelli. Its concept was very similar to the Thema Limousine from 1987. The car was finished in dark blue with a matte-black roof.

References

References

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5. [https://web.archive.org/web/20050324083750/http://www.carsfromitaly.com/lancia/index.html CarsFromItaly.com Lancia Kappa page] accessed via the [[Digital time capsule. Wayback Machine]]
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7. [http://www.lancia-kappa.com Polish Lancia Kappa enthusiast page] {{webarchive. link. (2006-04-24 {{in lang). pl
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10. Autocar, November 1994
11. Mazzocchi Bordone, Maria Giovanna. (July 2010). "Lancia - Tutti modelli del novecento, parte II". Editoriale Domus S.p.A..
12. Car magazine, July 1997
13. Ciferri, Luca. (25 February 1995). "Viva le mini—Spider, Ginevra promette". [[La Repubblica]].
14. "Lancia Kayak".